A review by laurenleigh
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

dark hopeful sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It took me months to get through this one, for whatever reason. But I actually appreciated the time I took. It helped me conceptualize how long these characters suffered during the war. My slow reading matched the slower paced plot too. In general I’m a little worn out on WWII fiction, but I can appreciate the skill this writer has. There was so much brilliant poignancy, even when not much action was happening. It reminds me of The Goldfinch in that way. I’m interested to check out Doerr’s other work! I bet I’ll like it even more than this, it not being WWII historical fiction. I just don’t need depressing war stories in my life these days!

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